Bottle cap



sept. 14,1926. '1,600,109

R. A. GLEASON ET AL BOTTLE CAP F'iled April 19, 192e 2 sheets-sheet 1 Wozu,

Sept. 14 1926. l,60(),109

R. A. GLEASON ET AL BOTTLEGAP Filed April 19, 192,6 2 sheets-sheet 2 gvwentoz @W wygl/M Patented Sept. 14, 1926.

UNITED STATES RALPH A. GLEASO AND OTTO W. DIEFFENBACH, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

BOTTLE CAP.

Application tiled -April 19, 1926. Serial No. 103,039.

The present invention relates to improvements in closures for bottles and other receptacles, and more particularly to c aps composed of paper or like material and .5 adapted for application to milk bottles having mouths of the usual or conventional form. p l An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved cap or closure of this kind which embodies a central or inner port-ion of such strength as to enable it to t securely into the bottle mouth and-to eifectively withstand Jforces produced by the action' of the liquid in the bottle or by other causes tending to accidentally loosen or dislodge it. i

Another object of the invention isto provide a cap or closure of this character which has a marginal or surrounding portion to fit over and thus cover and protect the lip of the' bottle mouth, the construction of the cap, however, being such that a large number of caps may be stacked in superposed relation and placed in a cap-feeding device and the lowerm'ost cap will be capable of feeding edgewise from the bottom of the stack Without interference Jfrom the cap or caps a ove it, nesting of the caps, one Within` the ot er, and which would prevent such feeding of the caps, being avoided. This characteristic of the improved caps enables them to be fed easily and by simple mecha-v nism to a bottle-capping mechanism.

A- further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved cap of this general class which can be manufactured inexpensively and with facility from a relatively small amount of paper or other suitable matcrial, and which will be capable oi effectively closing the bottle mouth andvof covering and retaining the lip of the bottlemouth in sanitary condition.

To these and other ends, the invention consists ot certain improvements which will be hereinafter more fully set forth, the features of novelty being pointed out particu-L larly in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a side elevation ot the mouth of a milk bottle having a cap constructed in accordance 'with the present inventionapplied thereto;

Figure 2 represents a vertical section taken centrally through` the bottle mouth and cap shown in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a top plan view ofthe cap as shorvn in Figures l and 2;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view illustratmg the manner in which caps embodying the present invention may be stacked in superposed relation Without nesting and the lowermost cap may be yfed edgewise from the stack;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the bottle mouth and the cap showing the form of the cap and its relationship with the bottle mouth at the time vthe cap is placed on the bottle mouth;

Figure 6 is a view similar to yFigure 5', but showing the shape of the cap and its relationshi with the bottle mouth after it has been aliixed or applied thereto;

Figures 7 8 and 9 are diagrammatic views showing` successive steps in the preferred method of making bottle caps embodying the present invention;

Figure 101s a top plan view of one of the caps illustrating the manner in which its central or inner portion is laminated at an intermediate stage in its manufacture;

Figure l 1l` represents a through the partially completed lcap shown in Flgure 10, the section being taken on the line'll-ll of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a top plan view of the completed or finished cap before the closing disk has been applied thereto.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several views.

Caps or closures embodying the present invention are applicable generall to receptacles Where easily applied an quickly removable caps or closures are desired although the invention is particularly applicacross-section ble to caps for milk bottles of the conventional type having an annular recess and adjacent seat formed in the mouth thereof. Heretofore it has been usual to close such bottles by presssing a flat disk of paper into the annular groove and against the seat at the bottom thereof, but such closures did not 'cover and thus retain the surrounding lip of the mouth in sanitary condition, they were difficult to remove Without splashing milk from the bottle, they Were likely to become.

dislodged and thus allow the contents to escape it the bottle were overturned, and they presented other well-known objections. The preferred embodiment of the present invention,

which overcomes all of the objectionsr to theordinary disk form of closure and possesses additional advantages thereover is shown in the accompanying drawings and willbe hereinafter described in detail, butrit is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to the precise construction shown as equivalent constructions are contemplated, and such will be included within the scope of the claims.

The improved closure, as shown in the present instance, is formed in two parts,

lthat is, it comprises a member l adapted to tit the bottle mouth and a cooperative disk or similar closing member 2. The cap is shown kin the present instance as adapted for application to a milk bottle A having a -mouth of the usual or conventional form, such bottles being usually ,formed within the mouth. with an annular substantially cylindrical recess a having a seat or shoulder I) at the bottom thereof, and the bottle mouthis surrounded by a lip 0,- which is usually rounded substantially as shown.

The cap prior toits ap lication lto the bottle has substantially the orm shown in Figures 4 and 5. The marginal portion of the member l is curved transversely to approximately conform with the curvature of the lip of the bottle mouth while the inner portion of this member is formed with a substantially tubular part 3, the 'outer diameter of which a proximates that of the groove or recess a 1n the bottle mouth. This tubular pa-rt may be substantially cylindrical, although it is preferably tapered somewhat. as shown in Figure 5 to give it a conical form. |llhis tubular part is of an axial length or depth less than that of the depth of the curve or recess a in the bottle mouth, this tubular part being doubled or curved inwardly so. that its edge 4 projects upwardly and forms an annular ledge. The disk or closing member 2, Vprior to the affixing of the cap on the bottle mouth, fits into the upper portion of the tubular part 3 so that its iupper surfacev is substantlally flush with the top of the outer member l, the edge 4 being so positioned with respect to the thickness of the disk 2 that it en-y gages the under side of the disk while the disk is in such osition and provides a supporting ledge` therefor. The disk 2 is thus retained in the outer member l and is held against undue displacement below the top of the member 1 prior to the aiixing of the cap to the bottle.

Caps constructed as described are capable of being stacked in superposed relation Without nesting or sticking together. As shown in Figure 4i, the doubled or re-curved edge of the tubular part 3 of each cap will rest on the upper surface of the disk 2 oi the cap below it, and 'this disk is supported by the ledge 4 so that its upper surface is substantially'flush with the top of the outer renonce member l of the cap. Consequently, each cap may be removed from the bottom of the stack by an edgewise displacement thereof as the ca above it will be supported in such a position that its marginal edge will occupy a position near the upper curved portion of the part l of the lowermost cap and, hence, will not catch upon or otherwise interfere with the edgewise displacement of the lowermost ca incident to its removal, from the bottom o the stack. This feature of the present invention enables the caps to be supplied to abottle capping mechanism by a simple cap feeder which may embody a tubular magazine 5 in which a stack of the caps may be placed, an ejector 6 which may swing across the bottom of the l .magazine to successively removev the lowermost caps, and a channel 7 through which the ejector advances the caps tothe bottle capper. It lwill be understood thatl while the caps are in superposed relation in a.

stack, the disks or closlng members of the caps will be retained 1n proper relation with the respectiveA marginal members of the M caps, due to the pressure of the marginal member of each cap upon the disk ofthe ,A

cap next below it. L

A cap constructed` as described, when fed to the bottle mouth, will rest thereon substantially as shown vinliigure 5, the outerl periphery edge of the downwardly curved marginal member l extending downwardly along the side of the lip of the bottleand centering the cap thereon. The afixing of the cap to the bottle mouth may be effected by any suitable means whereby the marginalmember 1 is seated ony thel lip of the bottle 1 and the disk 2 is .forced downwardly in the annular recess a in the bottle mouth until seated. This operation may be effected by a, plunger of somewhat less diameter than the initial diameter of the disk 2, thisy plunger being indicated diagrammatica-lly at8 in Figure 6. As the disk is forced downwardly, it draws the tubular part 3 of-the outer member 1 downwardly, thereby -exerting a tension on this part which draws itl into close fitting relationship with the inner curved surface of the bottle lip', and as the downward displacement of the disk con!v tinues, the re-curved or inwardly doubled portionA of the tubulary part will be unrolled or unfolded vwhile it is pressed lirmly outwardly against the surrounding wall of the recess a, and-when the disk reaches the limit of its ldownward movement, the inner edge of the tubular portion will be turned ifnwardly, and it will be gripped between the shoulder or seatwgb and the bottom of the disk 2 forming a liquid-tight joint around the seat. The disk 2 `preferably is of a diameter which equals or nearly equals that of theA annular recess a, so that when the disk is forced into place, its peripheral edge will be turned up or turned back as indicated at 2a by reason of the thickness of the tubular part 3 which intervenes the edge of the disk and the surrounding wall of the groove or recess a. The consequent pressure imposed upon the tubular part 3 bythis -turned-up or turned-back edge 2 of the disk, which has a tendency to resume its original flat form, presses the tubulary around the periphery of the disk. While a` cap constructed as described and applied i to a bottle in the manner set forth is firmly aliixed to the bottle, itcan be quickly removed when the contents of the bottle are to be used, by merely gripping the outer peripheral edge of the member 1 with the lingers and pulling the same upwardly.

The improved ca s may be formed of different materials, a though it is preferable to make them of paratine-impregnated paper similar tothat generally usedl in making the ordinary closures of disk form, and the present invention provides a cap of the improved construction hereinbefo're described wherein the inner or tubular part 3 of the member 1 of increased strength relatively to the remainder or marginal portion of this member, so that the portion of the member 1 which secures the cap to the bottle and forms the liquid-tight joint therewith is of reinforced strength; Thisresult is attained by forming the outer or peripheral portion of the member 1 which serves primarily to cover and thus protect the outer lip of the bottle, of a sin le thickness of paper or like material and by forming the inner or securingand joint-forming part of the memberil of lamlnations 1 which are s produced lby ,superimposingtwoor more thicknesses of thepaper during the `formation of the tubyiilarl portion 3. This result may be -attained in diferentways. It is preferable, however, to attain this result by forming each cap from a section ,of a tube of paper designated 'X as this mode of production enables the cap to be formed from a minimum amount of paper and with no waste. The section of the paper tube may be manipulated in different ways to form the member 1, as, for example, by pressing or stamping between suitable dies, or by spinning between dies of appropriate form and which have relative rotary movement.

An example of one mode of forming the cap member 1 is illustrated diagrammatically'in Figures 7, 8 and 9 wherein 9 represents part of amandrel over which the paper tube X may be-fed, 10 represents a die which is movable axially of the mandrel Y and has a curved convex edge 11 to conform with the curvature to be given the lip-engaging portion of this member and a groove l2 which conforms with the shape to be given the re-curved or doubled tubular portlon 3 of this member. 13 represents' a lcooperative die having a concave curved portion 14: to cooperate with the similarly curved but convex portion 11 of the lower die, and 15 is an inner die which ismovable axially of the die 13 and is formed with akcircular rib 16 which conforms with`the interior shape of the re-curved tubular portion 3 of thev member 1. In using dies of this kind in making the ca member 1, it is preferable to revolve the `es 13 and 1-5 while they are in operation. The paper tube X is held so,

that its upper edgefprojects a suitable dis-v tance above the top of the die 10, and the die 13, which descends in advance of the die 15, engages the upper edge of the paper tube at its convexcurved surface 14, and as the descent of the die 13 continues, the edge of caus'y the paper tube is crowded inwardly, ing it to become corrugated or wrinkled, and as the descent of the die 13 continues, the lower ldie v10 recedes or lowers within the paper tube and the inwardl crowdedk corrugations in the paper tube ecome more orvv less superposed' or folded, so that they orportions of them overlie one another, subf stantially wherein 1a designates the laminations.

The Vdie lthenoperates to bring its rib'16 as shown in Figures 10 and 1-1 This operation continues sothat the inturned pori tion of the paper tube overlies the groove 12 of the lower die to the proper extent.

intoengagement with the corrugatedor I die with a pressure suflicient ,to` press the folded in-turned portion of the paper and;v l y I I to press it into the groove 12 of the lower i overlying corrugations or folds of the paper .y

into laminated form and to give the result. I

ing tubular ortion ofthe member a sub-4 stantially uniform thickness around its cir- ,cumference. By revolvingA the dies 1,3 and 15 relativelyto the die 10 lduring the formation of this cap member, a spinning action is produced -on the pa er during formation of this cap member which densities the lami- 'i i 115 l nated portion and insures uniform thickness thereof throughout its extent, and when parained paper is used, as is preferred,.th`e I spinning action-re-distributes the paratiinel in the laminated portion of the paper so as to produce a substantially homogeneous liquid-proof. After the dies 13 and 15 have thus operated to finish the cap, the cap is' 13 and come into action upon completion of the cap-forming operation.

A bottle cap or closure constructed sub stantially as hereinbefore described may beV 12ol lstructure of great strength and which is under the readily fed to a suitable ca ping device by a simple form of cap fee er wherein the caps may be stacked in superposed relation, the structure of the caps beingsuch that nesting or interlocking of the superposed caps is prevented and, hence, the may be fed from the bottom of the stack y a s'imple edgewise movement. The cap, when applied to the bottle, extends over the li thereof to an extent suilicient to cover ang maintain it in s'anitar conditin, and the cap is so affixed to the hottle that accidental displacement or dislodgement thereof is avoided. The manner in which the inner portion of the marginal or outer member of the cap` is re-shaped and'disposed within the annular recess in the bottle mouth, force applied to seat the closing disk insures a secure hold of the cap on the bottle and a liquid-tight seal therewith, the stress under which lthe disk is. maintained when seatedV serving to retain the disk in place within the `outer .member of the cap andserving to firmly secure the outer member of the cap to the bottle. By forming the secured portion of the outer member'so that 'it is laminated this portion of the cap is aiiorded increased vstrength and it is rendered relatively hard dense and non-yielding, and, hence, it will insure the turning upof the peripheral edge of the disk when the latter is applied, so that a secure hold and li uid-tight seal of the cap in the bottle mout are 1nsured,.althou h the peripheral or marginal portlon of t e outer member of the cap may be relatively thin or of reduced thickness, and consequently suiciently pliable or iexible to conform with the lip of the receptacle even though the .lip may be out-of-'round or otherwise not true. Another advantage obtained with the improved cap is that it'is "capable of accommodating itself to the mouths of milk bottles or other containers which are out-of-round or otherwise imperfeet in shape, the cap being capable of effectively sealing such bottles.

We claim as our invention 1. A receptacle closure comprising a disklike closing member, and a lip-engaging member having a mouth-engaging portion to receive the disk-like member and having a ledge within it and above its lower end to support the disk-like memberso that its upper surface is substantially iiush with the l top of the lip-engaging member.

2. A receptacle closure comprising a disklike closing member having `a flat marginal portion, and a lip-covering member havlng a central depressed portion' within which the iiat marginal portion of the disk-like member lits, the lowerv portion of 'said depressed portion bein offset inwardly from the eripheryof t e disk-like member, said epressed portion containing a ledge above the bottom thereof which supports the disk-like member so that its upper surface is substantially flush with the top of the lip-covering member. l 7

3. A receptacle closure comprising ,a ldisklike closure member, and a lip-covering member having a central depressed portion within which the peripheral edge of the disk-like member lits, the lower portion of said depressed portion being recurved upwardly and the upper edge of said re-curved portion forming a supporting ledge which engages'the under side of the disk-like member.

4.' A receptacle closure comprising an outer member tting over the lip of a receptacle and having an inner portion extending into the annular recess in the mouth of the receptacle -and seated against thev like closing member, and a cooperative member formed from a tube' of material and having an outer lip covering portion and an inner portion formed of inwardly gathered and laminated 'portions of the tube, said inner portion being adapted to receive and secure the closing member and to enter the mouth of the receptacle.

6. A receptacle closure comprising an annular member formed from a tube of material and having an outer lip-engaging `portion and an inner relatively depressed portion adapted to enter the receptacle mouth, the wall of said depressed portionv being formed of laminations of said material which increase its density, hardness and rigidity relatively to the outer lip-engaging portion, and a disk-like closing member adapted to be forced into the depressed portion of said annular member whereby its peripheral edge will be up-turned by the laminated wall of said depressed portion.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

RALPH A. GLEASON. orro W. DIEFFENBACH. 

